• Twenty-one percent of the workers polled believe their job prospects will be worse in the coming year, up from 15 percent last year.
• Thirty percent say it is not at all likely they will be looking for a new job next year, compared to 26 percent one year ago.

Forty-six percent feel their organizations’ leaders are expecting the economy to get worse next year, and only 22 percent say executives think the economy is getting better.

Fifty-seven percent of the workers polled said they expected to earn significantly or a little bit more in 2007, down from 63 percent in 2006.

Hiring practically stalled in December, driving the nation’s unemployment rate up to a two-year high of 5 percent. The jobs outlook for 2008 looks anything but rosy. Unfortunately, economists, employment reports and staffing experts are pointing to a tough jobs outlook, at least for the first half of this year. “Most of us believe the first half of the year will be a slow growth period. Every forecast I’ve seen is for unemployment to creep above 5 percent by the middle of next year. It will be a less than hospitable job creation environment”- says Jared Bernstein, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute.

“The forward indicators of the labor market activity offer little hope that the labor market will be spared. It’s not good news when more people are signing up for unemployment checks, and the average length of unemployment is lengthening.”- says Ken Goldstein, labor economist for The Conference Board.

There will be some industries that will suffer more than others. Anything real estate and housing related is expected to take a hit as far as jobs, and that includes everything from mortgage companies to home appliance manufacturers. Technology is also sluggish, economist Bernstein points out, bringing in new jobs only in “dribs and drabs.” But there are also bright spots, he adds. “In health care, job growth has way outpaced the average, and so are jobs in education.” Bioscience and clean technology companies are also seeing some signs of life, says Chuck Pappalardo, managing director of recruiting firm Trilogy Search. Despite the positives, it’s going to be a bumpy road for most workers this year.

“The debate isn’t whether we’ll have a first half that’s strong but whether we’ll have a recession or just slow growth,” explains Bernstein.

Now more than ever, you have to be clear on what you can bring to a prospective employer because there are going to be more people applying for that job you want.To target your search, you have to do a lot of research up front into a company and the job you’re applying for. Sending out hundreds of resumes without knowing exactly what you want is going to get you no where, especially in a weak job market.

No matter what path you take, get ready to brace yourself for this year.